Cridhe
Cridhe is the fictional planet where the events in the novel Force of Will take place. It is a rocky planet in a binary system in orbit with Giha - a gas giant planet. Their solar system is a circumbinary system, meaning they have two suns (both suns are about half the brightness of our sun, though still .75x the mass, giving it the same habitability.) Cridhe and Giha are tidally locked, which removes tides and months, means that Giha is always in the same spot in the sky, and creates six poles total: North and South Pole like ours, as well as Light pole (Giha hangs directly overhead, creating a hot environment and daily eclipses), Dark Pole (Giha isn’t visible at all), Front Pole (Giha is always in “sunrise” position. Creates fantastic aurora borealis due to the magnetic field) and Back Pole (Giha is always on the “sunset” side.) Fauna Animals in the world are similar to those of Earth, however most egg-laying (non-mammalian) animals are entirely made of bones. Their body structures function similarly to crabs or lobsters, with their muscles and veins inside of the bones, like the chitin on a crab. Flexible but tough cartilaginous joints attach like tubes to the outside of bones. Because of their literal exoskeleton, they have very few natural predators. There are a few animals that have excessively strong jaws and don’t need to eat as often as others, so the effort and energy expended in hunting bony creatures is made worth it. However, most animals hunt mammals, or are herbivores. Because of this, the wild places on Cridhe are filled with bony creatures, which is what makes ossein so naturally abundant in this world. When a creature dies, there isn’t much for scavengers to pick apart, so the bones stay there. Those that forage for ossein are able to do so without hunting, though this kind of foraging relies heavily on luck. Tortoises and other slow moving oviparous animals usually collect moss all over their bones and shells. There are many different types of bones, which make for a whole host of uses. Coins are made of ossein. The most common, a lucent, is made from the crystalline bones of common fish. Brunets are made from the shiny black bones of common lizards, and the filigret, a hollow intricate bone comes from birds, and is harder to come by, and keep without breaking. Because bones hold veins and the other things necessary for a functioning body, bones are hollow on the inside. Coins are cut from pieces of bone and strung onto a necklace (called a lavaliere) to keep instead of putting it in a pouch. In addition to the bones used for currency, there are other types of bones for other uses. The briar monitor has large burr-like protrusions coming from its dense bones, so it is used in the making of weapons such as a morningstar or maul, or even for armor. All fish bones are clear, but some are tinted different colors, usually based on diet. While people still use sand to make glass, it is common for ornamental windows to be made out of stacked fish ribs of different colors, making star patterns or stripes that catch the light. The wings of all birds are bone, but don’t have the holes like the rest of their body. They function much like airplane wings. They are hollow on the inside which makes them light enough to be capable of flight, though they cannot fly for as long as most birds we know. Non-flying birds like ostriches have denser bones and larger wings. The wings of these birds are used in the making of oars, windmill blades, and things of the sort. They are especially helpful as oars because their hollow insides make them naturally buoyant. Aquatic animals like octopuses, sharks, stingrays, etc, have hollow cavities in their cores (different depending on the animal) with a balloon-like muscle (swim bladder) that they keep inflated to regulate their depth, and can change the inflation to rise or sink accordingly. When a marine animal dies, its swim bladder slowly deflates and their bones sink to the bottom of the seas or rivers, making river banks and lake bottoms prime places to salvage large amounts of ossein. ' ' Topography All the countries are divided by rivers that connect to one of more of the three major seas. Because the seas are smaller, they are not nearly as deep as the seas on Earth. There is one ocean that covers much of the Back Pole of the planet, but it is almost never traversed because of its dangerous climate and the accessibility of much quicker means of travel. Channels near the land masses are notoriously shallow and dangerous to navigate. Because of this, all ships are flat bottomed and able to traverse these shallow channels, but cannot carry as much cargo. There is no way to get from one country to another without crossing some body of water. All trade wagons, and most regular wagons are fitted with retractable wheels and slots for oars so they can quickly cross over rivers. More expensive wagons have rudders, sails, buoys and other water-faring gear. These extra things are usually not utilized, but are invaluable in times of emergency. If a plain caravan crosses over a river with a wicked undertow, it can be swept downriver and capsized in an instant. This is a fairly common occurrence among traveling caravan owners who prefer to roll the dice rather than shell out more money to protect their workers. Also because of the prevalence, there are often already wrecked wagons to warn of dangerous currents. ' ' Climate Because of the various poles, climate varies widely from region to region, but there are no real seasons. Weather patterns are the only thing that have a significant effect on temperature. Clar-Ama, which is in the Front Pole sphere, and spans from north to south, is in a more moderate temperature zone. Giha is always visible on the sunrise horizon, and due to the magnetic field and tilt of the planet, various displays of the aurora borealis are always flickering across the skies. The temperature sits between 50 and 70 degrees year round, and the climate is wet, similar to Ireland or England. Rayiys sits in the center of the Bright Pole, and has a full view of Giha in its skies at all times. Depending on where you are in the country, there is a solar eclipse at the same time every day for about an hour, usually around what noon would be in our terms. This is especially helpful for telling time in this region. Even when the sun has set, the reflection and natural heat from Giha keeps the countries in this hemisphere warm. It sits around 80 and 100 degrees year round. The countries of Nzima, Adalet and Phehella are all in the Back Pole hemisphere, though they are still close to the Bright Pole. Giha is always visible on the sunset horizon. Because of the tilt of the planet, the aurora borealis isn’t present on this side. The temperature is similar to that of Clar-Ama, though the climate is much drier. The dark pole is mostly ocean and can get as cold as 10 degrees at its center. The heat from Giha isn’t reflected into this area at all, so temperatures fluctuate dramatically from day to night, typically a 30 degree range.